Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigns as head of IMF | World news | The Guardian Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigns as head of IMF • Strauss-Kahn resigns 'with infinite sadness' • Second bail application to be made on Thursday • John Lipsky remains acting head of IMF • Process begins to find new managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn: stepping down to devote 'all his energy' to fighting sexual assault charges. Photograph: Yuri Gripas/Reuters Thursday 19 May 2011 02.43 EDT First published on Thursday 19 May 2011 02.43 EDT Close This article is 5 years old Dominique Strauss-Kahn has resigned as managing director of the International Monetary Fund, saying he wanted to devote "all his energy" to battle the sexual assault charges he faces in New York. The IMF's executive board released a letter from Strauss-Kahn dated 18 May, in which the former managing director denied the allegations against him and went on to say that it was with "infinite sadness" that he presented the board with his resignation.

"I think at this time first of my wife – whom I love more than anything – of my children, of my family, of my friends. I think also of my colleagues at the fund; together we have accomplished such great things over the last three years and more. "To all, I want to say that I deny with the greatest possible firmness all of the allegations that have been made against me. "I want to protect this institution which I have served with honour and devotion, and especially – especially – I want to devote all my strength, all my time, and all my energy to proving my innocence." Strauss-Kahn's resignation comes after increasing international pressure for him to step down as he faces charges of assaulting an employee at a New York hotel. The maid, a 32-year-old immigrant from the west African country of Guinea, told police that Strauss-Kahn, 62, came out of the bathroom naked, chased her down, forced her to perform oral sex on him and tried to remove her underwear before she broke free and fled the room.

Strauss-Kahn, who has held in New York's Rikers Island prison since Monday, is to make a second application for bail on Thursday with his lawyers set to offer new bail terms including $1m (£619,000) in cash and placing their client under house arrest. A judge rejected his initial plea for bail agreeing with prosecutors that he was a flight risk. A grand jury has been convened to assess whether Strauss-Kahn will be indicted. Their decision will not be known until Friday. The decision to press for bail ahead of the decision suggests lawyers are urgently trying to free him. If he is released on bail, the deadline to secure an indictment would be extended. Selection process begins The IMF's statement late on Wednesday said the process of choosing a new leader would begin, but in the meantime John Lipsky would remain acting managing director. Several potential candidates to replace Strauss-Kahn have already been suggested, although none has yet indicated that they are interested. These include French finance minister Christine Lagarde, former Bundesbank president Axel Weber, and Kemal Dervis, Turkey's former minister of economic affairs. The IMF will hold a vote among its member countries to choose the next managing director.

The US has the largest share of voting power, with 16.7% of the total votes, followed by Japan with 6%, Germany with 5.7% and the UK and France with 4.85% each. To win, a candidate must attract 85% of the votes. Critics say it allows Washington and the leading European nations to control the process, so that that IMF is always run by a European in return for an US citizen at the head of the World Bank. This status quo could be now be challenged, though. On Tuesday China, which holds just 3.65% of the voting power, said the selection of the next IMF leader should be based on "fairness, transparency and merit". Brazil's finance minister, Guido Mantega, reiterated this point on Wednesday, arguing was important the selection process was based on merit, rather than on nationality. Brazil, which is an important, fast-growing emerging economy, has just 1.38% of the voting power - less than Belgium or the Netherlands. European leaders have reportedly been lobbying to maintain their grip on the IMF. German chancellor Angela Merkel indicated on Monday that she favoured another European at the helm of the IMF.

China and Brazil call for end to status quo in decision on who will succeed Dominique Strauss-Kahn as head of the IMF Published: 19 May 2011 Voting power among the IMF's 187 members largely reflects the balance of economic and political power in 1945 when the Fund was created Published: 19 May 2011 The IMF will hold a vote among its member countries to choose the next managing director, to replace Dominique Strauss-Kahn Published: 19 May 2011 France's Christine Lagarde and former UK prime minister Gordon Brown are possible candidates to succeed Dominique Strauss-Kahn at the head of the International Monetary Fund Published: 23 May 2011 Next IMF boss likely to come from outside Europe: deputy head | Reuters Sat Jul 25, 2015 | 5:14 AM EDT Next IMF boss likely to come from outside Europe: deputy head IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde (R) delivers remarks at a press briefing as First Deputy David Lipton attends during the IMF and World Bank's 2015 Annual Spring Meetings, in Washington, April 16, 2015.

Reuters/Mike Theiler ATHENS The next managing director of the International Monetary Fund is likely to come from outside Europe when current leader Christine Lagarde eventually leaves, the deputy head of the Washington-based fund said in an interview broadcast on Saturday. IMF First Deputy Managing Director David Lipton told the BBC World Service the tradition by which a European heads the fund while an American leads the World Bank was coming under pressure and the next appointment would be "strictly merit-based". Described on the same radio program as an "incredible anachronism" by former IMF Chief Economist Kenneth Rogoff, the convention that has ensured that Europeans lead the fund has been increasingly challenged during the euro zone crisis. Lipton said that when Lagarde steps down, her successor would probably come from a non-European country. "With candidates coming forward from around the world, I think it's much more likely the next time around than it has ever been," he said.

"There are more and more eminently qualified people from outside Europe and the United States and I think the fact that there's been so much focus on crisis in the United States right at the early stages of the global financial crisis and with Europe, is going to lead to a sense that there has to be a broader pool for the leadership role," Lipton said. Lagarde, a former French finance minister, took over as head of the IMF in 2011 after her predecessor, Dominique Strauss-Kahn was forced to resign over a sex scandal. Her five-year term comes to an end next year but she was quoted last month as saying she would consider a second term if she had the support of the IMF's members. Although there is no formal requirement that the leader of the IMF come from Europe, it has been the practice ever since the institution was set up after World War Two, while the World Bank has always been led by an American.

(Reporting by James Mackenzie; Editing by Toby Chopra) ADVERTISEMENT IMF Head Pointed Out in Lineup After Sexual Assault Allegations | Fox News IMF Head Pointed Out in Lineup After Sexual Assault Allegations Published May 16, 2011 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 livefyre Email Print In this April 15, 2011, photo, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, center, walks to a meeting of the G-20 finance ministers and central bank governors at the 2011 Spring Meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington. (AP) May 15: A van pulls into a police station where it is believed Dominique Strauss-Kahn is being held in New York. (AP) Previous Next Dominique Strauss-Khan, the head of the International Monetary Fund, was picked out in a police lineup by the maid who says the Frenchman attacked her in a swank New York City hotel, authorities said Sunday. Strauss-Khan, known to some as "the great seducer," is expected to plead not guilty at his arraignment, which will be held Monday.

Strauss-Kahn's lawyer William Taylor said testing for evidence delayed the arraignment, which was originally scheduled for Sunday. "Our client willingly consented to a scientific and forensic examination," Taylor said. Strauss-Kahn is "tired, but he's fine." A somber-looking Strauss-Kahn was later escorted out of the Harlem police precinct where he was being held, his arms behind his back. On Sunday morning, the IMF chief and potential French presidential candidate was yanked off an Air France plane moments before departure and arrested on charges of a criminal sex act, attempted rape and unlawful imprisonment, police said. The IMF leader is accused of sexually assaulting a 32-year-old hotel maid, who told police that Strauss-Kahn attacked her when she entered his $3,000-a-night-suite to clean it on Saturday afternoon at the Sofitel Hotel near Times Square. New York police said the maid picked the Frenchman out of a lineup on Sunday. After meeting with his client for the first time on Sunday afternoon, a second lawyer for Strauss-Kahn, Benjamin Brafman, told FoxNews.com the IMF chief denies all charges against him.

According to an account the woman provided to police, Strauss-Kahn emerged from the bathroom naked, chased her down a hallway and pulled her into a bedroom, where he began to sexually assault her. She said she fought him off, then he dragged her into the bathroom, where he forced her to perform oral sex on him and tried to remove her underwear. The woman was able to break free again and escaped the room and told hotel staff what had happened, authorities said. They called police. France woke to the bombshell news Sunday with a measure of surprise. Strauss-Kahn was expected to be the main challenger against President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose political fortunes have been flagging, in next year's presidential elections. The arrest could shake up the race and throw the long-divided Socialists back into disarray about who they could present as Sarkozy's opponent. "It's a cross that will be difficult for him to bear," said Dominique Paille, a political rival to Strauss-Kahn on the center right, on BFM television. "It's totally hallucinating. If it is true, this would be a historic moment, but in the negative sense, for French political life," Paille said.

Still, he urged, "I hope that everyone respects the presumption of innocence. I cannot manage to believe this affair." It wasn't clear why Strauss-Kahn was in New York. The IMF is based in Washington, and he was due in Germany on Sunday. His attorney declined to answer questions beyond saying his client denied the charges. Strauss-Kahn checked into the luxury Sofitel hotel not far from Manhattan's Times Square Friday afternoon, police said. When detectives arrived moments later, Strauss-Kahn had already left the hotel, leaving behind his cell phone, Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne said. "It looked like he got out of there in a hurry," Browne said. The NYPD discovered he was at the airport and contacted officials at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the airport. Port Authority officers plucked Strauss-Kahn from first class on the Air France flight that was just about to leave the gate. The maid was taken by police to a hospital and was being treated for minor injuries. John Sheehan, a spokesman for the hotel, said its staff was cooperating in the investigation. In sexual assault cases, it is procedure for detectives to look for DNA and forensic evidence and signs of trauma.

The accusations come amid French media reports about Strauss-Kahn's lifestyle, including luxury cars and suits, that some have dubbed a smear campaign. The married father of four is known as DSK in France, but media there also have dubbed him "the great seducer." His reputation as a charmer of women has not hurt his career in France, where politicians' private lives traditionally come under less scrutiny than in the United States. His wife, Anne Sinclair, defended him in a statement to French news agency AFP. "I do not believe for one second the accusations brought against my husband. I have no doubt his innocence will be established," said Sinclair, a New York-born journalist who hosted a popular weekly TV news broadcast in France in the 1980s. In 2008, Strauss-Kahn was briefly investigated over whether he had an improper relationship with a subordinate female employee. The IMF board found that the relationship was consensual, but called his actions "regrettable" and said they "reflected a serious error of judgment." The IMF employee left the fund and took a job with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Strauss-Kahn issued an apology, writing in an email to IMF staff that he showed poor judgment but didn't abuse his position. Caroline Atkinson, an IMF spokeswoman, issued a statement Sunday that said the agency would have no comment on the New York case. She referred all inquiries to Strauss-Kahn's personal lawyer and said the "IMF remains fully functioning and operational." Strauss-Kahn's offices in Paris couldn't be reached when the news broke overnight in France. One of his allies, Jean-Marie Le Guen, expressed doubt about the case. "The facts as they've been reported today have nothing to do with the Dominique Strauss-Kahn that we know," Le Guen said on BFM television. "Dominique Strauss-Kahn has never exhibited violence toward people close to him, to anyone." Strauss-Kahn was supposed to be meeting in Berlin on Sunday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel about aid to debt-laden Greece, and then join EU finance ministers in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday. The IMF is responsible for one-third of Greece's existing loan package, and his expected presence at these meetings underlined the gravity of the Greek crisis. Strauss-Kahn took over as head of the IMF in November 2007.

The 187-nation lending agency provides help in the form of emergency loans for countries facing severe financial problems. Strauss-Kahn won praise for his leadership at the IMF during the financial crisis of 2008 and the severe global recession that followed. More recently, he has directed the IMF's participation in bailout efforts to keep a European debt crisis, which began in Greece from destabilizing the global economy. Before taking the top post at the IMF, Strauss-Kahn had been a member of the French National Assembly and had also served as France's Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry from June 1997 to November 1999. More recently, Strauss-Kahn was seen as the strongest possible challenger to Sarkozy. He has not declared his candidacy, staying vague in interviews while feeding speculation that he wants France's top job. He sought the Socialist Party's endorsement in the last elections, in 2007, but came in second in a primary to Segolene Royal. Royal, the first woman to get so close to France's presidency, lost to Sarkozy in the runoff. After Sarkozy won, the new president championed Strauss-Kahn as a candidate to run the IMF.

Sarkozy's backers touted the move as a sign of the conservative president's campaign of openness to leftists — but political strategists saw it as a way for Sarkozy to get a potential challenger far away from the French limelight. Royal, who continues to harbor presidential ambitions of her own, remained prudent Sunday about the allegations, saying Strauss-Kahn has the right to the presumption of innocence. Strauss-Kahn is credited with preparing France for the adoption of the euro by taming its deficit and persuading then-Prime Minister Lionel Jospin to sign up to an EU pact of fiscal prudence. A former economics professor, Strauss-Kahn joined the Socialist party in 1976 and was elected to parliament in 1986 from the Val-d'Oise district, north of Paris. He went on to become mayor of Sarcelles, a working-class immigrant suburb of Paris. His first government post was industry minister under former President Francois Mitterrand. FoxNews.com's Jana Winter and the Associated Press contributed to this report. Advertisement French Finance Minister Lagarde to run for IMF job - May.

25, 2011 Choosing the managing director on the basis of nationality "undermines the legitimacy of the Fund," said a joint statement from the so-called BRICS nations. Britain announced its backing for Lagarde over the weekend. "We support her because she's the best person for the job, but I also personally think it would be a very good thing to see the first female managing director of the IMF in its 60-year history," British Chancellor George Osborne said. Osborne is Britain's equivalent of a finance minister. The fund said Friday that it aims to complete the selection process by June 30. Mexico will put forward Central Bank Chief Agustin Carstens as a candidate, the state-run news agency reported Sunday. Carstens worked with the fund as the executive director for Mexico, Spain, Venezuela and Central America, and was later a deputy managing director there, Notimex said. Strauss-Kahn, who is accused of trying to rape a maid last week in his suite at the Sofitel hotel in New York, was released from Rikers Island jail on Friday and is staying with his wife, Anne Sinclair.

Strauss-Kahn has been indicted on seven charges, including forcing the maid to perform oral sex on him and attempted rape. If he is convicted, Strauss-Kahn would face up to 25 years in prison. In his written resignation to the International Monetary Fund last week, Strauss-Kahn said, "I deny with the greatest possible firmness all of the allegations that have been made against me." First Published: May 25, 2011: 8:13 AM ET Related Articles Google+ Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer . Morningstar: © 2016 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2016. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2016 and/or its affiliates. © 2016 Cable News Network. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Privacy Policy . . Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing Director Of IMF, Arrested Over Alleged Sexual Assault | The Huffington Post Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing Director Of IMF, Arrested Over Alleged Sexual Assault 05/14/2011 07:32 pm ET | Updated Jul 14, 2011 5.7k The Huffington Post/AP Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, was arrested and is being questioned by police after allegations of sexual assault emerged on Saturday.

The New York Post initially reported that Strauss-Kahn was removed from an Air France flight just minutes before takeoff from Kennedy Airport. UPDATE: Reuters has confirmed through NY police that Strauss-Kahn was charged with "a criminal sexual act, attempted rape and unlawful imprisonment." Scroll down for the latest information on the charges. According to The New York Post, a housekeeper entered Strauss-Kahn’s New York City hotel room at noon on Saturday. Sources claim that Strauss-Kahn emerged naked from the bathroom and grabbed the housekeeper, forcing her to perform oral sex on him. Strauss-Kahn was considered a potential candidate in France's 2012 election. The New York Times reports that Strauss-Kahn is a former economics professor, and started in the 1980's as a deputy in parliament, and then was a finance minister: Mr. Strauss-Kahn eventually sought the socialist party’s presidential nomination himself in 2007 — calling for an “anti-Sarkozy front” — but lost to Segolene Royal. Months later he was tapped to run the I.M.F. and received Sarkozy’s support, which many critics called a strategy by Sarkozy to keep Mr.

Strauss-Kahn away from the forefront of the socialist party. According to a Reuters post on Twitter, "Lawyer representing IMF chief Strauss-Kahn says Strauss-Kahn 'will plead not guilty.'" Strauss-Kahn has blogged for HuffPost . Reuters reported early Sunday morning on the charges: IMF chief and possible French presidential contender Dominique Strauss-Kahn was arrested and charged with an alleged sexual assault, including an attempted rape, on a hotel maid in New York City, police said on Sunday. Strauss-Kahn, a key player in the world's response to the 2007-09 financial meltdown and in Europe's ongoing debt crisis, was removed from an Air France plane minutes before it was to take off for Paris from John F Kennedy International Airport on Saturday, New York police spokesman Paul Browne said. Browne said Strauss-Kahn was formally arrested at 2:15 a.m. (7:15 a.m. British time) on Sunday on charges of criminal sexual act, attempted rape and unlawful imprisonment. A lawyer representing Strauss-Kahn, Benjamin Brafman, told Reuters in an email that the International Monetary Fund chief "will plead not guilty." Brafman made no further comment.

A 32-year-old maid filed a sexual assault complaint after fleeing the $3,000 (1,852 pound)-a-night hotel suite at the Sofitel in Times Square where the alleged incident occurred around 1 p.m. (6 p.m. British time) on Saturday, Browne said. Strauss-Kahn, 62, who has been considered a possible Socialist Party candidate in the French presidential election in April and May 2012, appeared to have fled the hotel after the incident, the police spokesman said. Browne told Reuters an account of events which led to the state charges against Strauss-Kahn. "She told detectives he came out of the bathroom naked, ran down a hallway to the foyer where she was, pulled her into a bedroom and began to sexually assault her, according to her account." "She pulled away from him and he dragged her down a hallway into the bathroom where he engaged in a criminal sexual act, according to her account to detectives. He tried to lock her into the hotel room," Browne added. Browne said Strauss-Kahn does not have diplomatic immunity. He is expected to be brought before state court on Sunday.

According to New York state law, a criminal sexual act includes forcibly compelling someone to engage in oral sex. The offence carries a potential sentence of 15-20 years, the same as attempted rape. Unlawful imprisonment carries a potential sentence of three to five years. IMPACT ON IMF The allegation will be a major worldwide embarrassment to the IMF, which has authorized billions of dollars in lending programs to troubled countries and has played a major role in the euro zone debt crisis. It follows the announcement on Thursday the IMF's No. 2 official, John Lipsky, plans to step down in August when his term ends. The IMF managing director has yet to say whether he will run for president, although French opinion polls put him as a clear winner over conservative incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy if the two faced off in an election. "The NYPD realized he had fled, he had left his cell phone behind," Browne said. "We learned he was on an Air France plane. They held the plane and he was taken off and is now being held in police custody for questioning." After being removed from the aircraft's first-class section, he was taken to the police department's Special Victims Unit in Manhattan, known to viewers of a hit U.S.

television show based on its work. The woman, who has not been named, "was brought by EMS (emergency medical services) to the Roosevelt Hospital, where she was treated for minor injuries," Browne said. Strauss-Kahn was on his way to Europe for a meeting on Sunday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss the European debt crisis and then was to attend a euro zone finance ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday. Strauss-Kahn took over the IMF in November 2007 for a five-year term scheduled to end next year. Before that, he was a French finance minister, member of the French National Assembly and a professor of economics at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris. The IMF declined to comment and IMF board officials told Reuters they had not been informed officially of the incident. PAST CONTROVERSY Strauss-Kahn has faced controversy before. In October 2008, he apologized for "an error of judgement" for an affair with a female IMF economist who was his subordinate. An inquiry cleared him of harassment and abuse of power, although he was warned by the fund's board of member countries against further improper conduct.

Strauss-Kahn apologized to the woman, Piroska Nagy, and his wife, French television personality Anne Sinclair, as well as to IMF employees for the trouble he had caused. Since taking over the IMF, he has won plaudits for putting the fund, the world's main overseer of the global economic system, at the centre of global efforts to cope with the financial meltdown of 2007-09. Strauss-Kahn introduced sweeping changes at the global institution to ensure that countries swamped by the financial collapse had access to emergency loans. He was pivotal in brokering a bailout program for Iceland, Hungary, Greece, Ireland, and recently Portugal. He has also overseen internal changes that have given emerging market countries, such as China, India and Brazil, greater voting power in the institution, and weighed into thornier issues by urging China to allow its currency to rise in value in a dispute with the United States. Based in Washington at the IMF's headquarters, Strauss-Kahn has continued to spend a lot of time in France, fanning speculation he was considering re-entering politics as a presidential candidate.

Lipsky's planned departure and now Strauss-Kahn's detention raises questions about a possible leadership vacuum should the IMF chief be charged by U.S. authorities or face possible discipline by the IMF board. (Reporting by Christine Kearney and Noeleen Walder; Editing by Peter Cooney, Todd Eastham and Jackie Frank) Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions . More: IMF director submits resignation amid sex assault charges - The Blade IMF director submits resignation amid sex assault charges Seeks leave of NYC's Rikers for house arrest ASSOCIATED PRESS Print NEW YORK — Hours after Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned from his post as manager of the International Monetary Fund — saying he felt compelled to focus his energy on the sexual assault charges he faces — the French politician will try to get out of one of America's most notorious jails. Behind bars on New York's Rikers Island since Monday, the beleaguered former IMF chief is scheduled to return to a Manhattan court Thursday afternoon to again ask for bail on charges he sexually assaulted a hotel maid — a move seemed certain to face vigorous opposition by prosecutors. Late Wednesday, Strauss-Kahn resigned as managing director of the International Monetary Fund, according to a letter released by its executive board.

In the letter, Strauss-Kahn denied the allegations but said he felt compelled to resign with "great sadness" because he was thinking of his family and also wanted to protect the IMF. In court papers filed by his defense team Wednesday, Strauss-Kahn said he had surrendered his passport and wouldn't flee the country. His attorneys proposed posting $1 million cash bail and confining him to the home of his daughter, Camille, a Columbia University graduate student, 24 hours a day with electronic monitoring. Strauss-Kahn, 62, "is a loving husband and father, and a highly regarded diplomat, politician, lawyer, politician, economist and professor, with no criminal record," his attorneys wrote. They had proposed similar conditions at an earlier bail hearing but added the promise of house arrest Wednesday. A judge denied him bail Monday. Investigators have revisited to the penthouse hotel room to cut out a piece of carpet in a painstaking search for DNA evidence, law enforcement officials said Wednesday. New York detectives and prosecutors believe the carpet in the hotel room may contain Strauss-Kahn's semen, spat out after an episode of forced oral sex, the officials told The Associated Press.

One of the officials said that the DNA testing was being "fast-tracked" but that the results could still be a few days away. The two officials spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because neither was authorized to speak about the case publicly and because it has gone to a grand jury. The maid, a 32-year-old immigrant from the West African nation of Guinea, told police that Strauss-Kahn came out of the bathroom naked, chased her down, forced her to perform oral sex on him and tried to remove her underwear before she broke free and fled the room. The AP does not identify alleged victims of sex crimes unless they agree to it. Strauss-Kahn went from his $3,000-a-night hotel suite to an isolated cell block at Rikers normally reserved for patients with contagious diseases. Kept in protective custody and on a suicide watch, authorities said he ate his meals alone in a single cell and was escorted everywhere by prison guards. Defense lawyers can raise the issue of bail as many times as they like, and it's common to make new proposals and try again after a client gets high or no bail, said Stuart P. Slotnick, a New York defense lawyer not involved in the case.

Such attempts can succeed if a judge is persuaded that new information reduces the perceived risk that the person won't come back to court if released. Living elsewhere is often seen as raising that risk, but it's not insurmountable, Slotnick said. In a case like Strauss-Kahn's, bail "is not going to be a slam dunk, but if they can convince the judge that he's not a risk of flight, that he's going to come back, then he'll get bail," Slotnick said. Manhattan prosecutors didn't immediately comment on the new bail motion. Another hearing had been scheduled for Friday, the deadline for prosecutors to bring an indictment, agree to a preliminary hearing or release him. In addition to examining the Sofitel Hotel suite for further potential DNA evidence, investigators were looking at the maid's keycard to determine whether she used it to enter the room, and how long she was there, officials said. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly declined to comment Wednesday on the details of the evidence-gathering but said results of any DNA and other testing have not yet come back. He said the detectives investigating the case found the maid's story believable. "Obviously, the credibility of the complainant is a factor in cases of this nature," Kelly said.

"One of the things they're trained to look for, and what was reported to me early on, was that the complainant was credible." One of Strauss-Kahn's attorneys, Benjamin Brafman, said at his client's arraignment this week that the forensic evidence "will not be consistent with a forcible encounter." That led to speculation the defense would argue it was consensual sex. The woman's lawyer, Jeffrey Shapiro, has dismissed suggestions from some of Strauss-Kahn's defenders that she made up the charges or tried to cover up a consensual encounter. Strauss-Kahn is one of France's highest-profile politicians and was seen as a potential candidate for president in next year's elections. His arrest shocked France. The scandal comes at a critical moment for the International Monetary Fund, which is trying to shore up teetering economies in Europe. The IMF is an immensely powerful agency that loans money to countries to stabilize the world economy. In exchange it often imposes strict austerity measures. Related Items Strauss-Kahn Resigns From I.M.F. in Wake of His Arrest - The New York Times The New York Times Business Day |Strauss-Kahn Resigns From I.M.F.

in Wake of His Arrest Search Continue reading the main story Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned Wednesday as head of the International Monetary Fund after explosive accusations that he had sexually attacked a housekeeper in a Midtown hotel room. “It is with infinite sadness that I feel compelled today to present to the Executive Board my resignation from my post of managing director of the I.M.F.,” he said in a statement dated Wednesday and released early Thursday by the I.M.F. “I think at this time first of my wife — whom I love more than anything — of my children, of my family, of my friends.” His resignation comes four days after Mr. Strauss-Kahn was taken off an Air France plane at Kennedy International Airport and arrested in connection with the accusations, and a day after Timothy F. Geithner, the Treasury secretary, urged the I.M.F. to appoint an interim managing director. Mr. Strauss-Kahn, a former French finance minister, had been expected to declare his candidacy for the French presidency soon. He was seen as one of the candidates most likely to defeat President Nicolas Sarkozy. In issuing his resignation, Mr.

Strauss-Kahn said, “I want to say that I deny with the greatest possible firmness all of the allegations that have been made against me.” French news organizations quickly announced Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s resignation and underscored that he was leaving to focus on proving his innocence. Commentators said it was unusual for Mr. Strauss-Kahn to use personal language, including references to his wife, family and colleagues at the I.M.F. The selection of a successor will now take an official turn, with the executive board expected to meet quickly, possibly as early as Thursday, to start opening up the application process, said an I.M.F. official who spoke anonymously because of the sensitivity of the situation. Officials had originally planned to wait for a decision from the grand jury in New York to see whether Mr. Strauss-Kahn would be freed from Rikers Island prison before starting a formal selection process. But as Mr. Geithner and others suggested Mr. Strauss-Kahn step aside, people within the fund were already thinking about the future. “The I.M.F. is not decapitated,” said the official. “But with his resignation, it’s better to find a new managing director quickly.” The jockeying for his replacement has already begun.

The French finance minister, Christine Lagarde, is considered a leading candidate to succeed Mr. Strauss-Kahn, her friend and colleague. Her straight talk has helped burnish Ms. Lagarde’s reputation as one of Europe’s most influential ambassadors in the world of international finance. Her main competition, analysts say, is Kemal Dervis, a former finance minister of Turkey. Mr. Dervis is credited with rescuing the Turkish economy after it was hit by a devastating financial crisis in 2001, in part by securing a multibillion-dollar loan from the I.M.F. Before that, Mr. Dervis worked at the World Bank for 24 years. The process for filling the post will begin with member governments nominating their candidates. After that, the executive board typically sets a window for them to present their case and explain how they would manage the institution. The process may not be tension-free, given the tussle between Europe and emerging market countries over a successor. “There may be some horse-trading,” the official said. On Thursday, the German government said it “respects” Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s decision to resign, saying that it allows the I.M.F.

to “return quickly to full ability to act.” It thanked him for “valuable” work during his tenure. Chancellor Angela Merkel is among those pushing for another European to head the bank as uncertainty grows about Europe’s debt crisis. At the same time, China took the unusual step of reiterating its desire to see a leader representing an emerging market at the helm of the I.M.F. While it has not put forward a candidate of its own, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said it was “paying close attention” to the situation. “In principle, we believe that emerging and developing countries should have representation at senior levels.” Photo Dominique Strauss-Kahn during his arraignment in New York on Monday. Credit Pool photo by Emmanuel Dunand In the meantime, the I.M.F. said in its statement Wednesday night that John Lipsky would remain as acting managing director. Mr. Lipsky can continue until a new chief is appointed. He had already announced plans to leave the agency in August. Normally, a successor is voted by the agency’s 24-member executive board, with large financial contributors like the United States, Japan and China getting a bigger percentage of voting rights.

Europeans want to keep one of their own in a post they have occupied since the I.M.F was created after World War II. But the world’s fast-growing emerging nations say their time has come to run a big institution like the I.M.F., given their growing global economic might. Writing in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, a German daily, the columnist Patrick Welter said: “It’s widely agreed in Europe that a European should success Strauss-Kahn. For the future of the euro zone, it might actually be better to have an outsider, but in the tried and tested division of labor with the Americans, the old principle about the funders having the say dictates that there should be a European I.M.F. boss.” While at the helm of the I.M.F., Mr. Strauss-Kahn, an economist and politician, had used the European debt crisis to seize, somewhat audaciously, a new and prominent role for the world body. Trying to shed its old image as a hidebound policy task master, the fund refashioned itself as the investment bank of multilateral institutions — doing whatever it took to get the deal done. Mr.

Strauss-Kahn was a leading member of France’s Socialist Party when he was chosen by the newly elected Mr. Sarkozy, a conservative, to be the head of the fund, a job that has traditionally been given to a European. Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s arrest on Saturday came 10 minutes before his plane was due to depart, at about 4:40 p.m., when two detectives of the Port Authority suddenly boarded Air France Flight 23, as the plane idled at the departure gate. The police had been called to the hotel about 1:30 p.m., but when they arrived, Mr. Strauss-Kahn had already checked out. At some point, Mr. Strauss-Kahn called the hotel and said that his cellphone was missing. Police detectives then coached hotel employees to tell him, falsely, that they had the telephone, according to a law enforcement official. Mr. Strauss-Kahn said he was at Kennedy Airport and about to get on a plane. News of the arrest produced an earthquake of shock, outrage, disbelief and embarrassment throughout France. Though Mr.

Strauss-Kahn received generally high marks for his stewardship of the bank, his reputation was tarnished in 2008 by an affair with a Hungarian economist who was a subordinate there. The fund decided to stand by him despite concluding that he had shown poor judgment. He issued an apology to employees at the bank and his wife, Anne Sinclair, an American-born French journalist. Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s extramarital affairs have long been considered an open secret. But the legal charges against him — which include attempted rape, forced oral sex and an effort to sequester another person against her will — are of an entirely different magnitude, even in France and elsewhere in continental Europe, where voters have generally shown more lenience than Americans toward the sexual behavior of prominent politicians, most notably the escapades of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy. Suspicions are widespread in France that Mr. Strauss-Kahn may have been set up. On Wednesday, a poll conducted by CSA showed that 57 percent of people surveyed thought he was “the victim of a plot.” Seventy percent of respondents from his Socialist Party also agreed with the theory. Still, as Mr.

Strauss-Kahn’s lawyer prepared to renew efforts obtain his release on bail , France was quickly recalculating the impact on the political landscape. As the country heads into a presidential election next year, those questioned by CSA believed Mr. Sarkozy had the most to gain from Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s downfall, followed by the far-right National Front candidate, Marine Le Pen, and François Hollande, the current Socialist front-runner. Ms. Le Pen wasted little time turning the spotlight back on Mr. Sarkozy. “I wonder if Mr. Sarkozy is considering the responsibility he bears for having sent Dominique Strauss-Kahn to the I.M.F.,” she said after news of Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s resignation emerged. She said that France needed to learn a lesson from his arrest, and ensure that “rich and poor are treated with an equal footing.” Liz Alderman and Lori Moore contributed reporting. A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: I.M.F. Chief Quits After His Arrest In Sexual Attack.

Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe Christine Lagarde appointed for second term as IMF chief | Business | The Guardian Christine Lagarde appointed for second term as IMF chief The former French finance minister won praise from developing countries but criticism from Greece during first term Lagarde was the only candidate and was backed by the UK, Germany, China and France. Photograph: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images Friday 19 February 2016 13.39 EST Last modified on Friday 19 February 2016 17.01 EST Close This article is 11 months old The International Monetary Fund has appointed Christine Lagarde for a second term as managing director after she rebuilt the Washington-based organisation’s reputation following the sex scandal that engulfed her predecessor. Lagarde, 60, who was the only candidate, was backed by the UK, Germany, China, and her home country, France, to stay on for another five years. She has led the IMF since 2011 and proved a strong contrast to her predecessor, Dominique Strauss-Kahn , who was forced to resign after he was accused of attempted rape in a New York hotel. The allegation was later dismissed.

Christine Lagarde, IMF chief with a key role in the Greek debt talks - profile Read more During her first term, Lagarde won praise from developing countries for providing greater practical support for their efforts to recover from the financial crash and backing their demands for greater representation on the IMF board. But the former French finance minister has clashed with the US Congress over its refusal to back reform and for her remarks in 2013 after the Obama administration was forced to implement spending cuts, which she considered “excessively rapid and ill-designed”. Her reputation in Greece has also been battered by years of disputes over the country’s financial bailout, which the leftist Syriza government believes has brought the nation to its knees. The IMF’s latest rescue mission runs out at the end of the month, by which time Greece is expected to make swingeing cuts to pensions, possibly sparking another dispute. The organisation’s executive board said her second term, which will start on 5 July, was the result of a “consensual” decision. It sidestepped concerns that Lagarde’s upcoming trial in France will prove a distraction during her second term.

She will defend an accusation of negligence over a €400m (£310m) payout to businessman Bernard Tapie, who supported Nicolas Sarkozy in France’s 2007 presidential race. The dean of the board, the Russian Aleksei Mozhin, said: “In taking this decision, the board praised Ms Lagarde’s strong and wise leadership during her first term. During turbulent times in the global economy, Ms Lagarde strengthened the Fund’s ability to support its members with policy advice, capacity building, and financing. “She has also played a critical role in revitalising the Fund’s relations with its global membership, including its emerging market and developing members.” Lagarde said: “The global economy is undergoing a number of important transitions and we are focused on helping our membership navigate these successfully. The Fund remains committed to its fundamental goal of helping to ensure global economic and financial stability through international cooperation.” Lagarde pledges to diversify IMF after sex scandal - USATODAY.com Lagarde pledges to diversify IMF after sex scandal By Christopher S. Rugaber, Associated Press Posted WASHINGTON  The new chief of the International Monetary Fund pledged Wednesday to diversify the global lending organization and make it more open for developing countries.

Susan Walsh, AP International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde, right, accompanied by John Lipsky, who was the acting IMF managing director, left, listens to a question during her first news conference at the IMF in Washington, Wednesday, July 6, 2011. Enlarge Close Susan Walsh, AP International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde, right, accompanied by John Lipsky, who was the acting IMF managing director, left, listens to a question during her first news conference at the IMF in Washington, Wednesday, July 6, 2011. Christine Lagarde took over after a sex scandal led her predecessor, Dominique Strauss-Kahn , to resign. Lagarde is the first woman to lead the IMF . She is under pressure to address the institution's reputation as a melting pot of international elites — one that was known as a male-dominated club well before the scandal. Lagarde says she will push to make the institution's staff more diverse and to increase the voice of developing countries on the IMF's board. She said she will continue reforms begun last year that increase the voting power of countries such as China and Brazil.

"The value of diversity is top on my list of priorities," Lagarde said Wednesday in her first news conference since assuming the top job. "It's not just gender diversity, it's about culture, it's about academic background." The former French finance minister is under pressure on many fronts. Lagarde must convince the developing world that her IMF will be a more open place for non-Western nations. At the same time, she'll have to persuade her fellow Europeans to take painful steps to avoid a default by Greece. She is the 11th European to lead the IMF, extending a streak that began with the organization's creation in 1945. Her selection became all but assured once the Obama administration endorsed her. She had also won support from Europe, China and Russia. Mexico's Agustin Carstens challenged her, but his candidacy never caught fire. Lagarde has said that her first priority is to unify the IMF's staff of 2,500 employees and 800 economists and to restore their confidence in the organization. Strauss-Kahn resigned in May to fight charges that he sexually assaulted a New York City hotel housekeeper. He has been freed from jail as the case against him has weakened.

Prosecutors acknowledge that the hotel maid who accused him of attacking her has lied about many aspects of her background. But Strauss-Kahn faces a new criminal complaint in France. A novelist has accused him of attempting to rape her eight years ago. Strauss-Kahn's lawyers have called the allegations as "imaginary." The 187-member IMF loans money to countries with troubled finances and provides economic advice to world leaders. Lagarde will be paid $467,940 per year, after taxes, according to her contract with the IMF. She will also receive $83,760 to allow her to "maintain, in the interests of the Fund, a scale of living appropriate to your position." The contract also states that Lagarde is "expected to observe the highest standards of ethical conduct" and "shall strive to avoid even the appearance of impropriety in your conduct." Lagarde will also undergo ethical training, the contract states. Strauss-Kahn's contract did not include similar language. Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. For more information about reprints & permissions , visit our FAQ's.

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Question: Which managing director of the "International Monetary fund" was forced to resign after a sex scandal in 2011?
Answer: Dominique Strauss-Kahn